Time to brush up on general knowledge?

Deborah Punshon

Believe it or not, 41 per cent of Brits in a recent poll said the Empire State Building.

But that’s not the only reason why some are being advised to brush up on their general knowledge.

When provided with a list of both true and false statements about various landmarks around the world, many Britons incorrectly thought that Niagara Falls was the tallest waterfall on Earth, that Blackpool Tower and the Eiffel Tower were the same height and that the Shard is the tallest building in the world.

The quiz, carried out alongside the launch of a new online tool by Hillarys named Homes by Altitude,

asked 2185 Britons aged 18 and over about their knowledge relating to the altitude of various landmarks in comparison to others.

The top 10 most common false statements that Britons believed to be true were:

The Empire State Building is taller than Mount Everest - 41 per cent

The Statue of Liberty is taller than the Eiffel Tower - 39 per cent

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is taller than the Big Ben- 25 per cent

The International Space Station orbits the planet within the Earth’s atmosphere - 22 per cent

Niagara Falls is the tallest waterfall in the world - 20 per cent

Blackpool Tower is the same height & size as the Eiffel Tower - 16 per cent

The Burj Khalifa reaches zero gravity territory on the roof, as it’s so tall - 15 per cent

The Pyramid of Giza is taller than the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean - six per cent

The Shard is the tallest building in the world - five per cent

Tara Hall, one of the team from Hillarys said: “As impressive as The Shard building is, it’s certainly not the tallest building in the world, nor is the Pyramid of Giza big enough to poke out the top of the Atlantic Ocean in its deepest part!

“It’s definitely time for some to scrub up on their geography and general knowledge.”